The Zohar, Chapter “Chayei Sarah (The Life of Sarah),” Item 155: …Hence, the righteous purify their bodies, which come from the force of the left, until they are worthy of receiving the Mochin from the middle line.” This is already the Light of Hassadim, with a little Light of Hochma clothed within it. “And upon the reception of the Mochin, the Guf that despises its authority is like Esau. And an impression of that degradation remains in the body after its passing, too, until it causes it to decay, meaning to completely annul its power of reception until no remnant is left of it….

Esau is my inner decision. It is when I begin to understand that I can no longer work with my desire to receive pleasure the way I previously worked with it, meaning for the sake of receiving egoistically. Moreover, this decision is final and irreversible.

“Selling the birthright” means that I do not use my desire to receive pleasure in its primal form, for the sake of receiving. What I “sell” is not the egoistic desires (Kelim) themselves, but the system of their use. With this my previous attitude towards life disappears.

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The Zohar, Chapter “Chayei Sarah (The Life of Sarah),” Item 155: …But the lower ones cannot receive the illumination of the left before it is clothed in Hassadim from the right line.

This is why Esau was weary. It is written, “Behold, I am at the point of death; and what profit shall the birthright have for me?”

Esau wanted to receive the Light of Hochma into the egoistic desires (Kelim of reception) and found that he was unable to do this. Similarly, we spend our whole lives chasing after pleasures, trying to find enjoyment in life, but as soon as we feel pleasure, it immediately disappears. This cycle recurs throughout our entire lives. Repeating this unending cycle is why Esau was weary and said, “I am unable to continue like this. It is hopeless; I am tired of it. I am ready to unite with Jacob.”

Today all of humanity is standing at the threshold of this same realization. For this reason, the science of Kabbalah, Jacob’s method, is being revealed. This science is precisely about how to build the middle line, how to implement Jacob’s method.

Before humanity reached this state of despair, there was no demand for the science of Kabbalah. Now the need is apparent; from here the Torah can be revealed since the Torah is revealed from the middle line – the correction of egoism.

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The Zohar, Chapter “Ve’Eleh Toldot Itzhak (These Are the Generations of Isaac),” Item 165: Because the domination of the Sitra Achra is only at night, Esau’s ruling is only in the exile, which is night, meaning when it is as dark as night for us. This is why the angel fought with Jacob and struggled with him at night, and when the morning came, the strength of the angel waned and he could not overcome him. And then Jacob prevailed because Jacob’s dominion is in the day.

We think that the presence of the Light of Hochma during the day brings us daylight. But that is not the case. Rather, the Light of Hassadim is present during the day; therefore, the Light of Hochma becomes revealed. At night, the Light of Hochma shines without being clothed into the Light of Hassadim; while during the day, it is clothed in the Light of Hassadim. Day is the addition of Hassadim, and that’s why there is light. There is no Hassadim at night, hence there is darkness. The Light of Hassadim reveals (manifests) the presence of the Light of Hochma around us.

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The following is an excerpt from Rabash’s article on the holiday of Purim, “Concealment and Revelation”:

“Darkness is the Babylonian exile, which the nation of Israel brought upon itself because the Creator (Zeir Anpin) was asleep. The sinner Haman, who was a great astrologist, cast lots (Pur) to determine fate. Haman and his ten sons are the ten Klipot (impure forces) because he knew that the Creator slept and thus His upper governance did not protect the nation of Israel (those who aspire toward the Creator). Therefore, Haman thought that the time has come to annihilate the nation of Israel.”

Haman is our entire will to enjoy, which stands opposite the entire Light of Hochma. He knows that the Light is about to be revealed. However, he doesn’t know that this can only happen in the middle line, and that later even that will be revoked when the transition to the state of the First Restriction (Tzimtzum Alef) takes place. Malchut unites with Zeir Anpin in the middle line and they ascend to Bina, where they attain the state of the End of Correction.

Annihilating the nation of Israel means annihilating the intention of “for the sake of bestowal,” which holds a person back from receiving the Light of Hochma egoistically. Mordechai is the intention of bestowal, but if he acts alone, without the desires of Haman, then it is just bestowal for the sake of bestowal. That means he blocks the Light of Hochma, preventing it from being revealed.

In other words, if a person does not work in the middle line, then even his best actions of bestowal will block his path of development. This is why Mordechai needs a connection with Haman. When they start to argue with each other (an argument between the intention of bestowal and the egoistic desire), they come to understand how they are able or unable to unite.

The intention of bestowal enables the desires of Haman to be used. However, these actual desires will not be fulfilled, and this is why a clash occurs between Haman and Mordechai. This story is talking about how a person can create the right unity between two conflicting forces or two opposite intentions. It is also describing the battles, confusion, and doubts that await us on the path of correction until we find the right method.

This is what “Megillat Ester (The Scroll of Esther)” tells us about.

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If a person is in the left line, wishing to receive only the Light of Hochma, then he senses darkness because he lacks the Light of Hassadim. By contrast, if a person is in the right line, completely in the Light of Hassadim, then he has no desire for reception and doesn’t aspire to the Light of Hochma (the small state).

How can we connect these two opposite states of Hassidim and Hochma? Since a person is divided into these two halves without an ability to unite them, the intervention of a third force is necessary. This third force causes the two opposite states to clash so that a new action can begin.

The truth of the matter is that every action is a new birth in spirituality. It is a new state that didn’t exist before, and we don’t know how to perform it. In fact, it is impossible to perform it, since every action reveals our lack of connection with the Creator and our opposition to Him.

How do we step over this chasm and make the leap from corporeality into spirituality on each and every degree? This occurs after much preparation, when a force comes to us and awakens the serpent in us, which is the evil inclination helping us perform this leap.

(Note: This principle comes from Kitrug HaYareyach, which occurred on the fourth day of creation.)

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The Zohar, Chapter “Metzorah (The Leper),” Item 8: When the morning comes, all the armies and camps above praise the Creator.

Morning is a state where a person values the quality of bestowal. It is when one understands, knows, and feels that bestowal is the greatest thing possible.

Prior to that, love, bestowal, and connection with others appear as darkness because a person does not feel any benefit from them. He thinks, “What will I gain from this? It’s pointless, so why should I do it?” It seems tasteless to him.

However, if a person persistently continues to study and work in the group, then he is influenced by the Light that Reforms. This is called “working at night.”

This is followed by a new state: the quality of bestowal, the intention of giving. When this intention awakens in a person, it means morning has arrived.

Therefore, it is all talking about our inner states, rather than any external changes.

Then, several gates open to all sides (to the right and to the left), and Abraham’s gate, Hesed [mercy] opens in the assembly of Israel, Malchut, to summon all the people in the world to enjoy the Hassadim [mercies].

This is where we begin – kindness, Hassadim. How does a person achieve the state of morning? First he corrects himself through the quality of Hesed (mercy), and then he sees the Light of morning – the Light of Hassadim. Therefore, the morning prayer is called “Abraham.”

It is written, “And Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba,” since Malchut is called Beersheba, and Abraham planted the tree of Hesed [mercy] in it.

All the changes that we see, such as day and night, the sun and the moon, occur only in regard to the person. Through our inner processes we awaken these forces one after another or all of them together, and in this manner we feel the passing of time.

“The sun comes up” means that a person is able to reveal the Light of Hochma which is clothed into the Light of Hassadim. If one is able to reveal only the Light of Hassadim, it is still morning, but before the sunrise. If one cannot reveal even the Light of Hassadim through his desires, it is called night.

We are situated in an infinite ocean of the Light of Hochma, but we don’t have the desires of bestowal, Hassadim, and thus we cannot reveal any Light.

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The Book of Zohar, Chapter “Shmini (On the Eighth Day),” Item 98: “And the Lord (the main property of bestowal within us) spoke unto Moses (another property of bestowal) and to Aaron, (yet another property; in other words, there is a part between other parts within us, which connect), saying unto them: ‘…This is the animal that you may eat.’”

It writes Aaron because he always separates the impure from the pure (a property within us that separates pure desires from impure desires is called “Aaron”), since Aaron is Hesed and illumination of Hochma, Haya. The difference between an impure and pure Haya [animal] (in us) is only the Hesed (the property of Hesed is mercy, pure bestowal).

The impure cling to the left line, which is separated from the right, Hochma without Hassadim, from which all the darkness and judgments extend – where the right line means bestowal and the left line means reception.

In other words, if we have the Light of Hochma without the Light of Hassadim, we are in the darkness. But why is it dark if the Light of Hochma is present; after all, the Light of Hochma is the opposite of darkness? If it is received for the sake of ourselves and our egoism, then we feel darkness, which means that we don’t sense spirituality.

We are all currently submerged into absolute darkness and don’t see the spiritual world because we lack the Light of Hassadim, the Light of Love and Bestowal. Thus we are drowning in an ocean of the Light of Hochma in the World of Infinity, but don’t feel even a drop of this Infinite Light.

Why don’t we feel it? It’s because we don’t have the Light of Hassadim. As soon as we obtain the Light of Hassadim, the desire to bestow that has to be initiated by creation (us), then in that same instant the Light of Hochma will be covered by the Light of Hassadim.

All we need is the Light of Bestowal (Hassadim). There is an abundance of the Light of Hochma all around us, but without the Light of Hassadim we sense it as darkness, or in our case, as an unconscious state.

And the pure ones cling to the left line that is included in the right, when Hochma is clothed in Hesed, from which all the blessings and all the sanctities extend.

The difference between a pure Haya and an impure Haya is only the Hesed, the discernment of Aaron.

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A question I received: Why can’t I reveal the Light of Hochma?

My Answer: Because you don’t have the Light of Hassadim. You have only the desire to receive, which doesn’t feel good in the Light of Hochma because it cannot receive pleasure from it. The Light of Hochma cannot be felt in the egoistic desires. It can be revealed only to the extent of the presence of the Light of Hassadim, your intention to bestow (Bina of the four stages of the Direct Light).

You can have an infinite Kli with infinite Light of Hochma in it, but if you don’t have the Light of Hassadim, you will experience complete darkness, a state called “hell.” Even a tiny spark of the Light of Hochma without Hassadim feels like suffering, illness, disaster and crisis.

We are given a tiny feeling of the Light of Hochma in the Light of Hassadim by the Creator’s mercy. This gives us a feeling of life so we would be able to exist and develop with free will, in order to acquire the Light of Hassadim and reach the full revelation of the Light of Hochma.

The Creator develops us by “playing” with us. When He shines upon us with the Light of Hochma, we feel bad, but it is done in order for us to understand that we need the Light of Hassadim (a screen, Ohr Hozer, the Reflected Light, the intention to bestow and love). Then we will reveal the Light of Hochma in the Light of Hassadim, reflected by the screen.

Over time, as one receives blows depending on the amount of luminescence of Hochma, one starts asking the question, “Why am I suffering? What is going on? What is the meaning of my life?” That person is then brought to the group, the teacher, and the studying of the science of Kabbalah where he gradually finds out that the only thing he needs is the Light of Hassadim.

That is why the science of Kabbalah teaches us how to build a screen of bestowal (the intention to bestow and love, Ohr Hassadim). To the extent we are capable of bestowing, the Creator will also be revealed to us as One who Bestows, like in the example of the guest and the host.

Related Material:
Laitman. com Post: When Darkness Is Full Of Light
Laitman. com Post: Our Entire Life Occurs Between Two Lights – Hochma and Hassadim
Laitman. com Post: Shameless Enjoyment
Attaining the Worlds Beyond: “The Work Along the Three Lines”
Introduction to the Book of Zohar: “Items 39-44”
Importance Of The Giver – 5 Minutes Of Light (5:35)

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How does the Creator break the Kli? This is done by Partzuf Ishsut, which represents the mother, the motherly bosom, the whole infinite kindness with which the Creator treats the creation. This Partzuf is what supports the Parsa, knowing that it will cause the Kelim to break. It knows that the Light will vanish and the Kelim will fall from bestowal into egoistic reception, which is death!

Try to understand to what extent these Upper Systems take all the suffering and restrictions onto themselves in order to create the breaking. The breaking occurs due to the fact that the Light of the Final Correction (Gmar Tikkun) comes into completely open Kelim, which desire to receive all of the Light for the sake of bestowal; they want to eat from the whole table that is set by the Host.

I am His guest, and I am completely certain that I’ll receive all of these dishes only for His sake. So I take them, fill myself with them, and rejoice about the fact that I give to the Host. It seems to me that I have achieved the final correction, that I am in the World of Infinity and have a screen for everything.

But then suddenly, I begin to reveal that I have no screen on anything at all. After all, I received the Light of Hochma from above downward, which can never enter the Kelim of reception since this is impossible. I thought this could be done, but I was wrong. If only I had been 10-20% wrong. However, I did something that was completely unacceptable.

How can a Kli of reception accept the Light? It can only do so by uniting with Bina. This will occur later on, in the world of correction.

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A question I received: How should a person feel after the lesson?

My Answer: A person should come away from the lesson with a few main impressions:

• I haven’t achieved anything yet!
• I have just received a very powerful, potent medicine which will bring me much closer to the goal. These hours of my life were eternal because their benefit is priceless. I will never lose what I have gained just now and no one can take it away from me.
• It is good that I feel empty. If I felt fulfilled, it would mean that I am content with my present egoistic desires.
• It is written, “Your heart will delight in the Creator,” which means that when I am corrected, I will feel fulfilled by fulfilling the Creator. This is the kind of correction I should expect to come to me.
• All the reception and all the bestowal should come “from me” in the middle line. The right line is where I receive the Light of Correction, the Light of Bestowal, from above downward. This Light corrects me if I am completely open to it, if I let it enter me. In the left line, I use my egoistic desires to the extent that they are connected to bestowal. This means working with the Light of Hochma from below upward.
• All the changes that I expect to take place within me will bring me closer to bestowal. If I think this way, then it is impossible to feel bad.

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